An apocalyptic series with an evangelical subtext kicks off with this high-octane thrill ride. Five pre-teens were best friends once, sharing a mystical bond transcending race and class. But that was seven years ago, before something horrible happened: something that they can’t remember, that tore them apart, that sent them drifting into crime, drugs and despair; something that is now stalking their nightmares, drawing them back together to become embroiled in an ancient battle between angels of light and darkness. The plot is cleverly constructed with short chapters dissolving present and past, creating a phantasmagoric effect that constantly ratchets up the adrenaline level. While the heroes are sympathetic and fundamentally decent, they are presented with a graphic realism uncommon in Christian fiction and seem far older than their supposed years. The large cast, many sporting sound-alike or exotic names, can be confusing, and it’s not quite clear exactly what happens at the climax beyond a busload of setup for future books. Still, the combination of vivid cinematic detail, gritty adolescent angst and spectacular supernatural kickassery should prove irresistible. (Horror. YA)
Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-310-71433-0
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Zondervan
Review Posted Online: April 22, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
After his vicar father deserted the family, 16-year-old Jon lost his Christian faith. Falling under the spell of a classmate, Jeremiah, founder of the Brotherhood of the Hebetheus, Jon has joined four other boys as his disciple. Now, under Jeremiah’s direction, they kidnap a Hindu girl whom Jeremiah claims is a terrorist. From their hideout, an empty cottage with a dead woman in it (undiscovered for some days), they record grandiose demands and send them to the media. The novel, set in contemporary England, quickly bogs down in long speeches and didactic commentary. A less-than-credible plot doesn’t help, but the real problem is that once at the cottage, the novel goes around in circles rather than build steadily to the climax. Characters lose and regain their faith in Jeremiah; each turn provides the author a new opportunity to pontificate on global warming, consumerism and fear-mongering until the reader, too, feels like a hostage. Although Mills claims to be a former cult member, Judy Waite’s Forbidden (2004), offers greater insight into cult psychology in a far better novel. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Pub Date: June 10, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-375-84465-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Hispanic high-school senior Paul has struggled to overcome his attraction to boys, placing his prayers on slips of paper in an ornately carved “God box” in hopes the feelings will be taken away. He also dates best friend Angie and prays he will soon be sexually attracted to her. A new student arrives at their small-town Texas school, and Manuel comes out on his first day. He shocks the Bible Club by not only professing to be Christian but in more than holding his own in scripture-heavy debates. Manuel and Paul’s friends start a GSA and deal with homophobia. After a six-month struggle and a tragedy, Paul realizes he can’t love God or anyone if he doesn’t love himself. Sanchez takes on the myth that homosexuals are ungodly in this sometimes melodramatic tale. Occasionally reading more like a manual on dispelling homophobic misinterpretations of Bible verse than a novel, this is still an important work about self-acceptance and the meaning of God’s love. (Fiction. YA)
Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-4169-0899-9
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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